Phil Ivy's Baccarat Scandal: Edge Sorting and Legal Battles

Phil Ivy exploited casino flaws with edge sorting, winning millions before facing cheating accusations and legal battles.

### The Rise and Fall of Phil Ivy: A Poker Legend's Edge-Sorting Scandal
* ♠ In August 2012, Phil Ivy, a sharp poker player, caught the attention of casino staff as he racked up **$800,000 in winning chips**, raising suspicions of potential cheating.
* 🃏 Ivy, with a **$30 million fortune**, partnered with a Chinese woman named Kelly, who introduced him to a strategy called **edge sorting** that could give them a **6.5% advantage over the casino** without resorting to marked cards or collusion.
* 🎲 They made strategic requests to casinos, including using specific **Gemco playing cards** and a **Mandarin-speaking dealer**, which the casinos accepted, believing Ivy's **high status warranted such unusual demands**.
* 💰 Their operation proved successful, with Ivy and Sun winning **$9.6 million from the Borgata** and **£7.8 million from Crockfords in London**, but their luck turned when the casinos began to investigate their methods after noticing **patterns in their gameplay**.
* ⚖ Following their massive winnings, both casinos accused Ivy and Sun of cheating, leading to a series of legal battles that questioned the **ethics of edge sorting** and whether it constituted **cheating or a legitimate strategy**.
* 📅 In a landmark ruling, the UK Supreme Court sided with Crockfords, stating Ivy's tactics amounted to **cheating**, while the Borgata's lawsuit concluded with an **out-of-court settlement** in 2020, leaving the terms **undisclosed**.
* 💔 Ultimately, Ivy's reputation suffered as he fought to prove his innocence, highlighting the **fine line between skill and deceit** in the world of high-stakes gambling.

[Music] It's August 2012, and $800,000 in winning chips has sat on the table. He's a very sharp player. He's a guy you just don't want in your joint. He's very, very smart. You know he's got an edge, period. Casino staff are growing nervous now. They're desperate to change the deck, but they agreed not to. He made him look bad. You know he played him for a chump. Who's his Chinese friend, and what does she keep saying to the dealer? Barely anyone speaks Mandarin, but they need to find out fast. He Almost Got Away With It. Imagine having an advantage that allowed you to win $22 million in just five sessions. This is the story of a poker legend who beat the casinos, got accused of cheating, and ended up in court. It's early in 2012, and with $30 million under his belt, Phil Ivy is on top of the world, being a global poker icon. Thousands of fans want to meet him with money-making ideas, although this

time a well-respected friend says it's different because this is where he is introduced to a quiet Chinese woman with a money-making strategy known as Kelly to her friends. She also shares a deep hatred for the casinos. The pair immediately hit it off, although Ivy's interest really intensifies a few drinks later as she starts to outline the details of her strategy. She says it will give them a 6.5% advantage over the casino. Interestingly, it doesn't require marked cards or colluding with other players. With a sharp eye, intellect, and timing, it exploits a simple flaw in the system, but she needs the right situation to do it, a situation that only Ivy can help her create. You see, baccarat is usually a game of pure chance. The player and banker are each dealt two cards with the goal of getting as close to nine as possible. But Kelly has realized that if she can identify tiny regularities in gameplay, she can gain a significant advantage. The thing is to pull

this off. She needs a VIP player that the casinos trust. A player that can make four special requests without raising suspicion, and of course bet big when the time is right. Very big. The pair make a deal on the spot. Ivy will bait the casino into creating a perfect situation, and if they accept it, Kelly, also known as Cheun Yin Sun, will join him at the baccarat table. Any money that they make will be split long after they leave. The question is, how will they get the casinos to take the bait, and how will they justify their requests? Ivy reaches out to multiple casinos that have been offering him gifts, incentives, and cash back offers. Having a high role in poker in their casino is good for business. It generates free publicity and brings in the punters, whilst giving them a shot at his $30 million fortune. In the casino's eyes, it's win-win because baccarat is completely random, and on a regular baccarat table, house odds range from 1 to 1.24%. The Borgata in Atlantic City and Crockfords

in London are interested, but it comes with some extra conditions. He has to play for higher stakes, as much as $100,000 per hand is expected, and both casinos demand that he wires them his bankroll in advance. The Borgata requests $3 million up front, and Crockford's want 1 million pounds, equivalent to $1.2 million. For the poker legend, it is not a problem; after all, he's bet far bigger in the past. Ivy's first request is that one 8-deck shoe of Gemco playing cards will be used for play. The second is that the casino use an automatic shuffling machine and continue to reuse the same deck of cards over multiple hands. Third, he wants a dealer who speaks Mandarin Chinese for his accompanying guest. Perhaps most importantly, though, the fourth request is that the dealer is able to rotate certain cards before putting them back in the deck. He tells them that he believes it's lucky, although in reality, it is the key to the whole operation. To them, it's a bizarre ask, but

they've had stranger requests, so they just assume is another superstitious High Roller. Both casinos willingly agree to all of the requests. Now the pair are fully committed and ready for action. On the morning of April 11th, Ivy and Sun leave Vegas on a private jet for Atlantic City. In their first real test, they plan to hit the Borgata. On arrival, they're greeted with luxury dining, free drinks, complimentary five-star rooms, and tickets to premium entertainment. They're pulling out all the stops to welcome the pair with open arms. A couple of hours later, they're ushered into a private high-limit gaming room, tucked away deep in the casino's VIP area. On entry, Sun's eyes light up. The exact Shuffle machine and Gemco cards that they requested are waiting, along with a Mandarin-speaking dealer. It's game on. The pair will be using a technique known as Edge Sorting. Now, playing cards are supposed to be perfectly symmetrical, but often there

are tiny flaws in the manufacturing process. Maybe the pattern on the back of the cards isn't quite centered, or the edges are cut slightly unevenly. This is why they've requested gemco cards. To the average player, the imperfections are completely unnoticeable, but to a highly skilled edge sorter like Sun, it's quite possible at the right angle, even when they're face down as the cards are dealt. She'll track their edges closely and discreetly signal to Ivy where and when he should bear heavier. In baccarat, the eights and nines are crucial, so tracking the high-value cards throughout the deck is important to their plan. But there's a catch: the casino controls who can touch the cards. They're not going to let a player handle the deck or rotate the cards, which is where one of Ivy's VIP requests comes in. When a high-value card is identified, some will ask the dealer to rotate the card 180° before putting it back in the deck to avoid the casino's star catching.

on she'll only do this in Mandarin Chinese. It's the hardest language in the world, so only the requested dealer and Sun will understand what's being said. If anyone gets suspicious, they'll claim it's for luck. However, the real reason is so she can easily distinguish the cards later during play. It's genius because they can't be accused of foul play if they don't touch the deck. Essentially, the casino dealer will be doing their daily work for them almost instantly. From the moment they start playing, their plan works like a dream. The dealer appears a touch confused the first couple of times that Sun asks for a card to be rotated, but a combination of Ivy's charisma and status soon puts them at ease. On the 11th of April alone, Ivy and Sun have taken 2 million, earned $416,000 from the Borgata. The best part? The casino is totally unaware, so unaware that they're invited back again on the 3rd of May, where they win another $1,597,000. To the duo, it's some of the easiest money.

that they've ever made. They flipped the casino's edge on its head, but there's still a chance of losing, so they don't feel the slightest bit guilty. Desperate to win some of their money back on July 17th, the Borgata brings them back once more. This time they hit the house extra hard, banking $4,787,000 in a single session. Understandably, the casino bosses aren't happy. They've just lost $9.6 million to one of the most prolific poker players history has ever seen. Next, Ivy and Sun fly the 5,000m trip to London. Crockford's Casino have agreed to their terms if they play a baccarat variant punter Bankok, with stakes reaching £150,000 per hand. They completely annihilate the London Casino over a series of sessions in mid-August. In total, Ivy and Sun won £7.8 million, equivalent to about $12.1 million US. However, on the final night of play, the Joo Mak made a stupid mistake, having lost

so much money the casino insists on changing the deck rather carelessly. The duo respond by leaving their chips on the table and making a swift exit to already suspicious Casino staff. It appears strange. Why did they do that? Unbeknown to Ivy and Sun, this unusual behavior coupled with their massive winning streak leads to casino staff pouring over hours of gameplay footage. They don't know why it's significant at first, but after several hours of analysis, one of the casino's camera operators notes a pattern. Sun only requests that the cards are rotated when a high-value card goes back into the deck. The GCO cards, the Mandarin-speaking dealer rotating the cards for luck to a nearby casino manager. The penny drops. Ivy's pre-play requests were no coincidence. The automatic Shuffle machine and the same deck of cards is the final giveaway. You see, an automatic shuffler ensured that the cards would remain in their telling positions without being rotated. Plus, by keeping the same deck in play, it made the cards easier to track for future hands.

game is up, and now the whole situation is about to spiral into something far worse. Meanwhile, Ivy and Sun are getting back to the Borgata in Atlantic City for one final hurrah. The cards are dealt, drinks are flowing, and the chips are beginning to stack up. Ivy and Sun's operation is working like a well-oiled machine, now picking up on every subtle imperfection. Sun gets the dealer to rotate a card, and the casino staff are oblivious, much like previous visits. But this time, it's not just the dealer that's unaware of the situation ahead. After 14 grueling hours of play, they've racked up another $824,000 profit, a disappointing result having at one point been $3 million ahead. But when they go to collect, something's different. The air in the room crackling with tension and the eyes of casino security boring into them, the accusations begin to fly. The Bato of Court wind of edge-sorting allegations at Crockford's. They claim that Ivy and Sun have violated the sacred trust between

player and casino. They say that their actions have breached the unspoken code of fair play upon which the entire institution was built, but it gets even worse. Crockfords of London still haven't wired Ivy his $12.1 million win. They now say he's broken an implied contract and engaged in foul play. The reality is hard-hitting. The pair are sitting on a mountain of winnings only to be told that they won't see a penny of it. The thing is, they truly believe what they've done is within the bounds of the game. They haven't touched the cards, and they haven't physically altered anything. They simply used their keen observation skills and took advantage of the opportunities presented to them, opportunities that were agreed and presented by the casino. The very casinos that once welcomed them with open arms have now sought to paint them as common cheats, stripping them of not only their winnings but their dignity and reputation too. At that moment, sat in the casino with millions on the

line and the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ivy realizes he has no other option; this has to go to court. If it doesn't, his reputation will be destroyed forever. Between 2012 and October of 2017, several courtroom battles, appeals, and rulings take place at multiple courts. Initially, Ivy first sues Crockford's Casino in 2012 for withholding his winnings. Armed with hours of surveillance footage and meticulous legal analysis of every hand that was played, they claimed that Ivy and son had violated the spirit of fair play and broken an implied contract by edge sorting. Ivy argues that their keen observation skills and savvy strategy were not cheating but rather a display of skill. He maintained that edge sorting was simply a way to level the playing field in a game that was inherently stacked against the player, much like card counting. I mean, if card counters get paid and aren't considered cheats, then why should this be any different? Both strategies still carry the risk.

of losing Midway in 2014. Judge Mitten acknowledged that edge sorting was not considered to be cheating and that Phil Ivy believed he was playing an honest game. However, on the 25th of October 2017, following several appeals, the UK Supreme Court ruled in favor of Crockford's Casino, saying that even if there was no dishonesty involved under civil law, the tactics used amounted to cheating because Ivy had manipulated the odds in his favor by influencing the actions of the dealer, effectively using them as an innocent agent or tool. Simultaneously, the Borgata filed a lawsuit to recover the $9.6 million in 2014. The case raged on for longer than Crockford's. It would appear the casino wasn't just after the money; no, they wanted to send a message to Advantage players and make an example out of Ivy. They trotted out experts, analysts, and high-priced lawyers, dissecting every hand, every bet, and every subtle signal exchanged between the pair. It was a full court press designed to paint

the duo as cheaters. The US District Court finally ruled in 2016, saying that while IV and son did not commit fraud, they did breach a contract with the casino. Although following four appeals in July 2020, it was reported that the Borgata and Ivy had reached an out-of-court settlement. The terms of that deal were never disclosed, but it makes you wonder who played the system harder: Ivy or the casinos. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe and check out the next cheating scandal here.

How Phil Ivey Beat Casinos And Got Accused of Cheating

TILT

Phil Ivy, a sharp and intelligent player, won $22 million in just five sessions, causing nervousness among casino staff.

He was introduced to a Chinese woman, Kelly, who had a money-making strategy to exploit flaws in the casino's gameplay.

The pair made a deal, with Ivy creating the perfect situation for Kelly to join him at the baccarat table and split their winnings.

Ivy is looking to play for high stakes in London casinos, requiring a $3 million upfront bankroll for the Borgata and £1 million for Crockford's.

He makes four unusual requests, including using a specific deck of cards, an automatic shuffling machine, a Mandarin-speaking dealer, and rotating certain cards before they go back in the deck.

The pair plans to use a technique called Edge Sorting to track high-value cards, with Ivy's requests aimed at discreetly signaling when to bet heavier.

Ivy and Sun use Mandarin Chinese to discreetly communicate during their card games, allowing them to manipulate the dealer without being accused of foul play.

Their plan is highly successful, earning them $9.

8 million from Crockford's Casino in London.

However, their unusual behavior and winning streak raise suspicion, leading the casino staff to uncover their cheating strategy through gameplay footage analysis.

Ivy and Sun's High-Stakes Casino Operation

Ivy and Sun's final night at the Borgata in Atlantic City ends with a $824,000 profit, despite being $3 million ahead at one point.

The casino's security accuses them of edge-sorting and breaking the unspoken code of fair play, leading to the withholding of Ivy's $12.

Believing their actions were within the game's bounds, Ivy decides to take the matter to court, resulting in a series of legal battles and appeals from 2012 to 2017.

Phil Ivy's Controversial Tactics and Legal Battles

Phil Ivy's edge sorting strategy in poker was deemed controversial but not cheating by Judge Mitten.

However, the UK Supreme Court ruled in favor of Crockford's Casino, stating Ivy's tactics manipulated the dealer and amounted to cheating.

The Borgata's lawsuit against Ivy for $9.

6 million also dragged on, ultimately leading to an out-of-court settlement in July 2020 after several appeals.